The Last Ephor

I've had requests to talk more about life with Autism. One thing that's difficult to convey to people with typical kids. My life is normal. That is, normal for me. It's what I do every day and I don't know anything different so it's routine, normal whatever you want to call it. That said, very, very few people understand my life and how it works. That is, things are often so radically different it defies explanation. Even with our own families I frequently have to explain (or try to) why some things are the way they are or why they are simply not possible. One huge stumbling block is when people fail to realize the importance of Routine and Structure. I capitalize these two because they are the primary drivers for people with Autism. Without them, my son cannot function. Literally, cannot function. The best description I've heard is the allegory of Flying To Holland. Imagine you book a vacation to Holland. You contact your travel agent to get some b...

Manager came up to my desk today. Conversation follows: Manager: Hey Duffy, I'm having trouble with a particular folder. Reports are not returning data properly. Who do I see about that? Duffy: Me, I'm the admin. Let's take a look, which folder and report? Manager: Oh, you don't have access to that folder. The stuff in there is very sensitive. Duffy: (blank stare, trying to see if he's joking) Manager: (blank stare, shifts weight nervously) Duffy: (realizes he's no joking) Uh, as the administrator, I have access to everything. Manager: No, you don't. This folder is protected. Duffy: Let me show you. (logs into folder in question) Manager: (with Surprise and Alarm!) That's not good. That's in violation of security policy! How did you get access to that? Duffy: How can I administer a system if I don't have access to it. Manager: Well...you...you...it's a violation of policy. Duffy: .... Manager: You can't see the dat...

We rode along, floating in the dark over a void the depths of which you could not sense, passing the desiccated corpses and cobweb-draped skeletons, observing a ballroom where everyone spun around in eternal pursuit, so focused on the dance they'd forgotten they were dead. What an excellent metaphor for my life in newspapers.

Captured! Teflon Don has the story about the possible capture of three US Army personnel. I've heard absolutely zero in the MSM on this one. Not sure if that's due to laziness or a request from the DoD to keep this quiet until they know the fate of the soldiers in question. I pray for the soldiers and their families. Not know has to be the worst of all. Nancy Pelosi's authoritarian impulses on full display . More from Don Surber here . Update: That didn't last long. Fox News is derided as an organ of the GOP. Watch this video to see that myth exploded. It's softball vs. football. A list of emerging markets from Forbes. Some surprises here as well as surprising omissions. Readers are invited to see if they can spot any similarities in policies that lead to high growth. How can one work in Hollywood and keep their moral compass? These people want to show you how. What happens when two programs designed to beat the Turing Test get to chatting? It...

How hot is Dubai? Read this . Wow. Just wow.

“Bush is portrayed as a moron. I’ve only conversed with him a couple of times – not for very long – but I found he was more literate on literature than the editor of the New York Review of Books, Bob Silvers. I’ve talked to both of them, and he makes Bob Silvers look like a slug.”

What We Got Right in Iraq Leave it to WaPo to bury it on a Saturday instead of, you know, Sunday when they have the largest circulation. Our critics (usually people who have never visited Iraq) often allege that the de-Baathification decision left Iraqi ministries without effective leadership. Not so. Virtually all the old Baathist ministers had fled before the decree was issued. Startling quote from a principal: "We're filthy rich; I don't want any more of your money. Send me quality teachers." More please: More than a million secular Turks demonstrated in the Aegean port city of Izmir on Sunday in a major show of strength against the Islamic-rooted government as Turkey prepares for early general elections. The politics of airlines and taxation . Makes and interesting point about who's paying for what and who benefits. I firmly believe the airlines should have been left to fall apart in the 70's and again in 2001. They need a Shiva moment wherein they can...

Who Are the Merchants of Fear? It's not who you think it is. According to Cockburn, it's Gore and friends for their Global Warming hysteria. It's almost worth it to pay the price to read it. Or you could ask someone to Not Bug You.

I haven't read the onion in ages but someone pointed me to their latest edition which some some really funny stories. Read them all, they're short and funny

Judge a Book by its Cover 'nuff said.

What he said. H/T: Tim Blair Tax records? Pffft. Don Surber has a much better list . Sadly, not one of those items will ever see the light of day. Teachers stage mock gun attack in school telling them it was not a drill. The principal declined to say whether they would face disciplinary action. If I were a parent of those children and staged a "mock gun attack" on the teachers in reprisal I would be, you know, arrested. Iran's leading lunatic heads anti-American rally in Dubai. Telling them: "America was to blame for creating instability and robbing the region of its wealth." (nb: quoting the article, not the head lunatic). If we're robbing the region, we're doing a very poor job of it. Alternate universes everywhere? One scientist thinks so. "I probably shouldn't speculate, but observational cosmologists have spotted signs of a strange alignment in the CMB that could be compatible with this picture," says Aguirre." G...